Craft beer lovers in Erie eye brewery for Historic Downtown

Atom Brewing Co. would be second taproom to serve eastern Boulder County

By John Aguilar For Hometown Weekly

Posted:
12/16/2012 01:00:00 AM MST

The lure of big, bold craft beers is inexorably moving eastward, as two Erie couples set their sights on opening a brewery in the historic core of the town at the eastern edge of Boulder County.

Atom Brewing Co. could be operating in downtown Erie as soon as late spring, serving up saisons, pale ales, ambers and Scotch ales brewed on site. Along with Gravity Brewing, which opened last summer in Louisville, Atom would be only the second taproom serving the residents of eastern Boulder County.

Several other small nearby communities have recently joined the craft beer trend in Colorado, with Echo Brewing Co. in Frederick, Bootstrap Brewing Co. in Niwot, City Star Brewing in Berthoud and Gravity in Louisville all opening this year. There are now more than 160 breweries in the state, according to the Brewers Association, and many in the planning stages.

Small breweries opening in otherwise quiet cities and towns are sometimes referred to by the industry as "nano-breweries" and Steve Kurowski, marketing manager for the Boulder-based Colorado Brewers Guild, said Atom could easily fit that bill.

At 2,600 square feet, with half of that space serving as a taproom, Atom could become a cog in a future Interstate 25 craft beer circuit running between Denver and Fort Collins.

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"Pretty soon, you'll be able to do a little tour to see the nano-breweries in Colorado, and Atom could be a hidden gem," Kurowski said.

Atom's founders live in Erie

The company -- which consists of Porn and his wife, Christina, along with Erie Village residents Mark and Angela Spaulding -- plans to distinguish itself in the crowded craft brew scene by conducting the primary fermentation of many of its beers in oak barrels instead of stainless steel tanks.

"What we're going to do is blend a little historical old-school brewing techniques with new brewing techniques," Porn said. "It's really going to add a different characteristic to the beer from the flavor and aroma standpoint."

Atom, using a seven-barrel system, will produce almost all of its beer for on-site consumption, though it hopes to distribute some of its product on the open market once it's up and running.

Mark Spaulding, 56, said Atom won't serve food but will allow patrons to order meals from downtown restaurants. Neither Spaulding nor Porn would disclose the specific downtown site where Atom plans to locate.

"The advantage of having local restaurants close by was definitely a consideration," Spaulding said.

Porn, who has lived in downtown Erie for nearly five years, said he's aware of some of the difficulties downtown businesses have faced over the years, as restaurants have changed hands and town officials have cracked down on code violators.

But that hasn't dissuaded him from believing that Erie's historic downtown has potential.

"Give people a reason to come down here and explore and see what's down here," Porn said.

Paula Mehle, Erie's new economic development coordinator, said it helps that Atom's founders are town residents.

"Being that they are residents of Erie, it puts more energy into the proposal," she said.

'We like a lot of beers'

Friends for five years, the Porns and Spauldings came up with the idea for starting their own brewery while sharing a few beers last year. They began brewing recipes at their homes while Porn, a tech engineer by day, put in some time at Crabtree Brewery in Greeley and Avery Brewing Co. in Boulder to learn the tricks of the trade.

They have contracted with Hellfire Fabrication of Thornton to build their boil kettle and mash tun, and they will get their oak barrels from a cooper in Kentucky.

Porn said Atom will offer a wide range of craft beers in its taproom, even brewing some lighter varieties to bring in the more casual drinker unaccustomed to heavier beers.

"We're really not going to pigeonhole ourselves into being a German brewery or an English-style brewery," he said. "We're going to offer the beers we like, and we like a lot of beers."

Spaulding, a program manager for a construction company, hopes Atom will help advance the burgeoning industry as a whole.

"One of our goals is to push the craft beer industry forward," he said.

Julius Hummer, head brewer at Gravity Brewing Co. in Louisville, said this is a good time to be in the brewery business, and he welcomes Atom Brewing Co. to the market. But he said things are moving fast, and there could be new competitors nearby in no time.

"They better get on it -- there are a lot of other people opening these days," he said.